Ch. 01: Picking the campaign
Creating your first character Before you get to choose the campaign you will actually have to choose whether you'd like to create a Roleplaying Character (PvE) or PvP-Only Character. Since we're planning to play the actual campaigns we're going for the Roleplaying Character (left box). Choosing your starter-campaign After picking the character type you allready get to choose the campaign. To help you with your decision we have put up an easy-to-understand list of Pros (+) and Cons (-) for every campaign. Please note that we also give individual suggestions for campaigns in the Chapter Ch. 02: Picking your class, since you have different secondary classes in each campaign and some classes do rely on their secondary class quite a bit. Option 1: Prophecies Pros (+) * + Most nostalgic campaign with most atmospheric Prologue/Tutorial (called "Pre-Searing") * + Unique achievement (title) only obtainable in Pre-Searing (you won't be able to return to Pre-Searing at all!) * + Slow and steady progress in difficulty, which means it's perfect for slow learners. * + There are many skills that you can unlock through quests (which means you don't have to buy them). Cons (-) * - Tutorial is no quite up-to-date, you are missing out some information about more recent mechanics. * - No campaign-exclusive classes, you can only create the core-classes in Prophecies. * - Progress is pretty slow compared to other campaigns, might not be for everyone. * - Quests in general are very unrewarding compared to the other campaigns. * - Comparable to other campaigns, very late access to both Ascension 'and the 'Attribute Quests. ''' * - No heroes until mid-game (access to '''Nightfall and Eye of the North). * - Most of the Prophecies henchmen are really useless. * - No exclusive PvE-skills. Conclusion If you want a very soft and slow start into Guild Wars and don't mind the length of Prophecies, we highly recommend going for that campaign. The biggest plus is that you have many skill-quests available, which means you can unlock and obtain skills for free. Another huge plus is the unique achievement (title) in Pre-Searing, if you're a hardcore-completionist who is willing to do the commitment for that specific title. ________________ Option 2: Factions Pros (+) * + Very fast progress, early access to maximum gear and some useful elite skills. * + Both the Assassin and the Ritualist class are unique to Factions. * + Quests are pretty rewarding and if done right you'll have money + resources for your maximum armor in no time. * + Pretty early access Ascension and the secondary class changer. * + Early access to both Attribute Quests to unfold your character's full potential. * + Access to Factions-only PvE-skills. Cons (-) *- Progress might be too fast for some players since the difficulty increases rather fast. *- The later campaign is pretty challenging for new players. *- Advancing in the campaign requires some minor grinding. *- No heroes until early mid-game. *- (minor) East-Asian setting and/or character design might not be for everyone. Conclusion Factions is quite fast-paced and for those who prefer to progress rather quickly. Both the Assassin and Ritualist class are super-strong, especially in lategame. If you are looking for a fast progress, you should definitely check out Factions first! And if you're a fan of East-Asian culture, Factions is just perfect for you. ________________ Option 3: Nightfall Pros (+) * + Very fast progress, early access to maximum armour at the end of the Prologue. * + Both the Dervish and the Paragon class are unique to Nightfall. * + Tutorial is up-to-date and covers basically everything you need to know about mechanics. * + Difficulty increase is pretty balanced. * + Decent gold gain + EXP gain through quests and missions. * + Heroes at the very start, some Henchmen are also quite useful. * + Unique [https://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Treasure bonus-treasures] throughout the entire campaign with decent rewards for new players. * + Early access to both Attribute Quests to unfold your character's full potential. * + Fastest access to other campaigns (and more heroes), especially to Eye of the North. * + Access to Nightfall-only PvE-skills. Cons (-) * - Heroes are only strong and useful if you have access to some decent skills. * - Advancing in the campaign requires some minor grinding. * - Only a handful of skills are for free, most need to be unlocked via gold or hero skill points. * - Middle-Eastern / African setting and/or character design might not be for everyone. Conclusion Nightfall is the most up-to-date starter campaign of those three and offers several reasons why it should be your very first campaign to start with. The only real downside is that you might prefer henchmen over heroes until you get a basic set of useful skills aswell as some gear they can use. And if you like the Middle-Eastern and African setting, Nightfall is a perfect pick for you. Next step After you've finally decided for a campaign it's time to pick a class and create your character.